BACK in July ten local personalities, including the Bishop of Truro, agreed to take part in a five-month project to lower their carbon footprints.

The results of their various endeavours can be seen both at a Climate Vision exhibition being held in Truro Cathedral until Easter, and today (Thursday) at 7.30pm when some of the Carbon Ambassadors will form a discussion panel in the cathedral to talk through their experiences, and take questions from the audience.

Each of the ambassadors agreed to try and complete two pledges a month for five months, using the pledge form found on the ‘Hot Topics’ page cathedral’s website

Bishop Tim Thornton, Bishop of Truro, said, “I both enjoyed the challenges and found them very difficult. Of course my mind tells me I am supportive of the environment and want to see the world a better place. However, when it comes down to taking personal action and changing the way I live my life of all a sudden it gets real and difficult. So I am very glad I was challenged and I intend to go on challenging myself.”

The first part of the evening, of March 3, will be dedicated to an illustrated talk about the amazing 350-mile journey that four cyclists took from Cornwall to Paris last November. Once in Paris they delivered Climate Vision’s report to the UN Climate Change Conference.

The cyclists included Roger Creagh-Osborne, who is a Launceston town councillor and who stood as a Green candidate in the recent Cornwall Council by-election in the town’s Central Division.

Another of the cyclists, Euan McPhee, a retired environmental lecturer, said: “The 350-mile journey was cold, wet, windy — and exhilarating! The entry into Paris on a bright sunny day was absolutely wonderful — it was one of the most natural ‘highs’ one could have had.

“The hard cycling was more than compensated by the warm reception we had from mayors and councillors across Cornwall, our overnight hosts across France and the delegates and other representatives we met in Paris. Meeting them, giving them a copy of the Climate Vision Report and talking about our common concerns shows that basically most ordinary people want change. And they are prepared to be part of that change! It is time for governments to catch up with where people are at! And that, of course, was the main message of the report we were carrying.”

The evening event and exhibition are free.

If members of the public would like to join the Carbon Pledge Challenge then they should go to www.trurocathedral.org.uk/hot-topics/hot-topics.php